Browse Emergency Preparedness Stories

Georgia’s geographic diversity — from beaches and swamps to mountains and flatlands —makes the state an attractive place to live, but each region is vulnerable to weather-related emergencies year-round. When disasters strike, navigating the milieu of steps to recover and rebuild can be difficult. With a presence in all 159 Georgia counties, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension is uniquely positioned to help communities prepare for and rebound from calamity.

Fifteen million homes in the United States are at risk of flooding, according to the nonprofit First Street. And homes on the coasts aren’t the only properties at risk.

On June 1, 1991, the first agricultural weather station operated by the University of Georgia began transmitting data from Griffin, Georgia. Since then, the UGA Weather Network has grown to include 87 stations scattered across the state, providing weather data to a variety of users. On June 1 this year, this 30-year record of continuous weather data makes the UGA Weather Network one of the oldest state weather networks in the country.

Speaking at the University of Georgia for the first time since graduating in 2008, U.S. Department of Defense's Ada Bacetty presented the “Shattered Ceilings” seminar to the campus community — an engaging conversation about breaking through barriers in pursuit of diversity and inclusion.

Between dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and early indications of an especially active hurricane season, University of Georgia experts urge citizens to prepare early and remain prepared for weather-related emergencies.

Adding to the other little irritations caused by wearing masks — slippage, missed cues, muffled sound — masks can also cause skin irritation, so it’s important to know how to care for your mask as well as your skin.

Whether going back to school means in-person or distance learning for the young people in your life, it’s a good time to remember to prioritize mental health. COVID-19 has impacted the lives of young people in many ways, and mental health is no exception.

As we approach the harvest season for watermelon, bell pepper, tomato, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumber, sweet corn and other crops, Georgia vegetable growers can move ahead and prepare seasonal workers to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 during harvest time.

When COVID-19 was identified, Malak Esseili stopped taking her children along on trips to the grocery store and she told her sisters to start wearing scarves as makeshift masks while in public. As an assistant professor of food virology at the University of Georgia Center for Food Safety in Griffin, Esseili studied the emerging viral pathogen SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

Farmers and food processors take routine steps to reduce the likelihood of foodborne pathogens, like Salmonella and E. coli, contacting our food and causing illness. The procedures that our food industry takes on a daily basis are also effective in reducing the chances that the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 will come in contact with the food we eat.